Staff could have been unknowingly spreading coronavirus through care homes, according to UK's largest charitable care home provider
In May, Professor John Newton from Public Health England said it would be"premature" to introduce weekly testing of care home staff and residents. Instead, the government promised one universal test for everyone in care homes in England by early June.
Mr Monaghan continued:"I think it's very difficult not to see that the only real way that this can have come into our homes is through staff picking it up, just through the community contacts they would have had. "I think that is what is so hard for all our staff, because they care. But if they don't know they've contracted the virus, how can you manage this? "We lobbied right from the outset that routine testing was going to be absolutely vital in terms of us managing and doing effective infection control in our homes. The government still isn't offering that. "What does it say to the valuable people who work and live in care settings that it's 'premature' to test them weekly when Premiership footballers are being offered a test, not once, but twice a week?"The government promised one universal test for everyone in care homes in England by early June ONS figures show more than a quarter of all coronavirus deaths in England and Wales have happened in care homes.It says 398 people have died in its care homes since the crisis began. Three MHA staff have also succumbed to the virus.This data also shows less than half of the residents who died ever got a test.Manager Mark Quarmby said:"Once the virus took hold of some of our residents, it was relentless. We'd see cases where people literally showed some symptoms on a Friday and by Tuesday they'd passed away. "There was no testing. I actually had a conversation with Public Health England and asked for tests. I was categorically told there was no testing for care homes in the North West. We were on our own. "The early warning, that testing, could have changed outcomes. People could have lived the next two, three, four, five years. It makes me very sad." Public Health England said it"worked with Heather Grange care home and local partners to provide appropriate guidance and support to minimise the spread of Covid-19. Testing was arranged in line with policy at that time".
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