The Department of Health and Social Care has extended the Infection Control Fund (ICF) until the end of September with an additional £142.5m of funding to tackle Covid in adult social care.
In addition, the department has announced a further £108.8m to support providers with the costs associated with ongoing testing in care settings, including for visitors.
The latest £250m government injection brings the total funding given specifically to social care to £2bn throughout the pandemic.
The ICF, which had been due to expire at the end of June, can be used to ensure staff who are isolating receive their normal wages, and ensure that members of staff work in only one care home where possible.
The funding can also be used to limit or cohort staff to individual groups of residents or floors/wings, for example paying for extra staff cover to provide the necessary level of care and support to residents.
In addition, it supports recruitment of additional staff (and volunteers) to enable staff to work in only one care home.
“This new funding will help care services continue to protect those they look after and their staff from this cruel virus,” said care minister Helen Whately.
Care England welcomed the funding, saying it was a recognition of the sector’s “extremely hard” work to protect the people it supports.
“Care England is happy to work at speed to ensure the successful roll out of the money to the front line where it is most needed and where providers have been anxiously waiting for news,” added chief executive Martin Green.
National Care Forum chief executive Vic Rayner, however, pointed out via Twitter that there is no detail about the allocation process for the funding, that us lasts “only” three months and is £91m less than the previous three-month fund extension.
