Care England warns of possible ‘serious consequences’ as Covid testing ends

Covid testing in people being discharged from hospital to care homes should continue, a representative body has said as it warned of potentially “serious consequences” in ending the practice.

The Government has announced that routine testing for coronavirus in people without symptoms who are moving from hospital into care or hospice settings will end from April 1 “to align with the approach for other respiratory illnesses”.

Care England, a representative organisation for small, medium and large providers across the country, said they want testing to continue.

Its chief executive, Professor Martin Green, said: “People who live in care homes are often living with many health conditions and are susceptible to infectious diseases.

“It is for this reason that we would like to see testing continue when patients are being discharged from hospital.

“If we see an end to such testing, the risk of people coming from hospital with asymptomatic Covid and transmitting it to other residents could have serious consequences.”

The National Care Forum, a membership organisation for not-for-profit organisations in the care and support sector, warned that while it may be the right time to scale back routine testing, “we must be careful not the throw away the vital learning and surveillance systems developed during this period”.

Health minister Maria Caulfield, in a written statement on Monday, said NHS trusts will have “local discretion” to reintroduce Covid testing “as clinically appropriate following risk assessment”.

She said care providers and hospices “will also continue to have the ability to discuss and raise any concerns about discharge arrangements through existing local mechanisms”.

Regarding hospitals, she said limited testing, including symptomatic testing of staff working on inpatient wards treating profoundly immunocompromised individuals, will continue, while symptomatic testing of patient-facing hospice staff who work closely with people who are at high risk from severe outcomes will also continue.

Ms Caulfield said 70% of all people aged over 65 living in England receive a Covid-19 booster last autumn, while in care homes more than 80% of residents received a booster.

She added: “Today, due to a combination of immunity acquired from natural infection or vaccination, Covid-19 is now a relatively mild disease for the vast majority of people.”

The National Care Forum said enhanced surveillance of a range of infections, including but not limited to Covid-19, “should be built into our public health system alongside mechanisms and resources to allow the rapid scaling-up of mass testing where particular threats are identified”.

The organisation added: “For these reasons we also believe that the Government should tread carefully in removing routine testing of asymptomatic people discharged from hospital to residential care settings – this lack of testing was one of the fundamental errors during the first wave of the pandemic, contributing to the spread of Covid-19 to those most at risk.

“Rather, the Government should consider how this, and other routine testing routes, could be used in the surveillance of a wide range of infectious diseases. If we are to be prepared for a future pandemic, we must embed the learning from Covid-19 now.”

The Independent Care Group (ICG), which represents providers in York and North Yorkshire, warned against becoming complacent about the threat of Covid to the most vulnerable.

ICG chairman Mike Padgham said: “As care providers we must remain vigilant – as we must for all other viruses and infections that can pose a threat in care settings.

“I think we must also be ready to respond locally if circumstances change and a local outbreak is reported.

“The pandemic taught us that a one size fits all solution is not advisable, so care providers must work closely with their health trusts and local authorities and be ready to respond swiftly at a local level if Covid rears its head in one area or another.”

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