Community Health and Safety News

Care home testing – NOW UPDATED – please make sure the guidance is being followed

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Click to see full guidance

Now updated to weekly testing of care home staff. Please look at this webpage and make sure that this is happening in your care home.

On 1 May 2020 the First Minister of the Scottish Government announced an extension to testing for COVID-19 infection in care homes. This is a change to the previous guidance and extends testing in care homes to non-symptomatic residents and staff.

We reported this last week but we now have the relevant guidance.

The guidance involves three scenarios, summarised below:

  •  Enhanced outbreak investigation in all residential care homes where there are cases of COVID involving testing, subject to individuals’ consent, all residents and staff, whether or not they have symptoms.
  • Where a care home with an outbreak is part of a group or chain and staff may still be moving between homes, carry out urgent testing in any linked homes. 
  • Sampling testing in care homes where there are no cases. By definition this will also include testing residents and staff who are not symptomatic.

If this applies in your care home please make sure that testing is in place or come to the branch with any concerns by emailing grampianresourcecentre@unison.co.uk

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Click to read letter

Joint letter to all care home staff in Scotland

A letter has been issued to all care home staff in Scotland from Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport Jeane Freeman, and Scottish Care CEO Donald Macaskill.

You can read the letter by clicking on the graphic