Coronavirus: Testing extended to all care home staff and residents

Coronavirus testing will be extended to all care home residents and staff in Wales, the Welsh Government has announced.

The Welsh Government had faced criticism for not testing everyone.

Initially, it had opted only to test individuals with symptoms, and then increased testing to larger homes with no signs of the virus on 6 May.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething said changes resulted from "emerging evidence and scientific advice".

Testing in care homes in Wales had been more restrictive than in England, where all residents and staff have been eligible for testing regardless of symptoms since the end of April.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said at the time there would be "no value" in providing coronavirus tests to everybody in care homes.

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Following complaints that Wales was not following England on the measure, the Welsh Government extended the policy - from testing just staff and residents with symptoms, to all those in a home where someone had tested positive.

That was followed by a further extension on 6 May, when it was announced testing would be rolled out to staff and residents without symptoms at care homes of more than 50 beds.

Vaughan Gething has been health minister since 2016

Mr Gething said: "How we tackle Coronavirus continually changes as we receive more emerging evidence and scientific advice.

"We have been very clear in our approach that our strategy is about reducing harm first and we will adapt policies in order to do this.

"Today is a step change in how we will be testing in care homes, adapting our policy so that every resident and member of staff can be tested for coronavirus.

"I hope this brings further reassurance to those living and working in care homes and their families."

He told BBC Wales the change in scientific advice came late on Friday.

"I appreciate there are lots of people who look for conspiracy theories within this but that really is what's happened with a changing scientific evidence base," added the health minister.

He also said regular updates on advice to the Welsh Government would continue to be published on Tuesdays so "the public can see that scientific evidence that really is underpinning all the choices that I make as a health minister for Wales".

Plaid Cymru's Delyth Jewell MS said: "The tragic cases of Covid-19 in care homes and its prevalence within them should have been an early wake-up call for the Welsh Government that testing everyone was a necessary life-saving step."The refusal to do so up to now should be the subject of examination in the future inquiry."

Janet Finch-Saunders MS, the Welsh Conservatives spokesperson for social care, said it was "shameful that the expansion could not have been implemented sooner given that capacity in testing is increasing".

The Welsh Government said the change will come into effect this week.

Responding to the announcement, the Older People's Commissioner for Wales said she welcomed the change but said there would be questions "about why it took until now for the Welsh Government to change its policy on testing".

Heléna Herklots added: "It's now crucial that the testing promised is delivered quickly and effectively throughout Wales."

She said she would continue to scrutinise the Welsh Government's action on testing "to ensure that people living and working in care homes in Wales are kept safe and protected".