The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is piloting home testing for social care staff as it steps up efforts to relieve Covid-19 pressures on the sector.
In a statement, the CQC said it is trialling a scheme for ordering home kits for carers unable to visit a drive-through testing centre.
CQC’s national infrastructure is used to book appointments at a national testing centre for any staff who are self-isolating with symptoms of coronavirus.
The body claimed 24,590 locations have been contacted and 12,422 appointments have been booked for staff since 10 April.
“This will give care staff more peace of mind about their own safety and that of their families and the people they care for – and means that those who test negative can return to work and help relieve the pressures services are facing,” it said.
The CQC has meanwhile issued a joint statement with the British Medical Association, Care Provider Alliance and Royal College of General Practice on advance care plans in response to concerns raised by providers about the possibility that advance care plans - with or without Do Not Attempt to Resuscitate form completion - could be applied broadly to groups of people during the pandemic.
The statement makes clear that the “practice is unacceptable, and that these decisions must continue to be made on an individual basis according to need,” the CQC said.
The body is meanwhile working with the Office of National Statistics to provide a more detailed picture of the impact on adult social care, using the data on deaths of people with suspected and confirmed Covid-19 that they collect from providers.
That will also give a regional view of which areas are being most impacted and may need additional support as a result. The data will be used to support weekly ONS reporting on deaths from 28 April.
In addition, the CQC is also designing and launching a regular data collection on COVID-19 related pressures – such as shortages of PPE – from services who provide care for people in their own homes.
