Rapid tests on way to Doncaster care homes to allow more Christmas visits but challenges remain
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Phil Holmes, director of adult social care at Doncaster Council, said testing kits will be used to swab relatives to enable more visiting slots in the run up to Christmas.
But he added they were being rolled out in stages, some care homes might get them sooner than others and bosses will not know when they are due to arrive.
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Hide AdTesting has to be done indoors at at least 15 degrees celsius and Mr Holmes added some homes will find it problematic to pull staff away from front line care to administer them and also to provide space away from front-facing areas.
The social care boss said there was some Government grant money for extra staffing but he couldn’t be confident ‘how far that will stretch’.
Dr Rupert Suckling, director of public health also added his team were ‘concerned’ that over Christmas, the relaxations in restrictions which could lead to a resurgence in cases.
The health bosses were speaking at a scrutiny meeting answering questions from councillors on the run up to festive visits in care homes.
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Hide AdMr Holmes said: “Increased testing into care homes. Lateral testing which will support visiting going up to Christmas. Potentially very helpful but tests are going into homes in phases. Some care homes will not know when they’re getting them.
“New guidance issued to care homes - it requires them to have staffing and a physical way of administering the visited test physically discrete part of the home away from reception and other access points. Some homes won’t have that some homes will also struggle in taking someone from frontline care to carry testing.
“The council is working directly with care home providers week-in week-out to make sense of this. The intention is allowing visiting which is the right thing to do and many homes would sympathise with that.
“But they are in a very difficult situation logistically between now and Christmas to manage that and it would be a surprise if we don’t have some frustrated relatives around Doncaster feeling that this national intention is not working for them as quickly as they would want.”