Coronavirus: Some hospital patients discharged to Peterborough care homes not tested for Covid-19, report states

The report published in late September revealed that the percentage of hospital patients tested before being discharged to city care homes has increased from 73 per cent to 90 per cent.

This is despite the Government telling hospital trusts in April that they would need to test all patients prior to being discharged and admitted into a care home.

Peterborough City Council said it was “confident everyone going into a care home from hospital is swabbed,” while the trust which runs Peterborough City Hospital said it “routinely tests every patient that requires any form of discharge support”.

The figures put in a report to the council’s Adults and Communities Scrutiny Committee also revealed that:

. 90 per cent of care homes have the ability to isolate residents

. 88 per cent have undertaken action to restrict staff movement between care homes

. 71 per cent are paying staff full wages while isolating following a positive test

. 76 per cent have access to Covid-19 test kits for all residents and asymptomatic staff

. 98 per cent have access to sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) to meet their needs

. 89 per have access to medical equipment needed for Covid-19.

The figures were all an improvement on recent months.

Coronavirus has been linked to the deaths of at least 30 people in Peterborough care homes since the start of the pandemic.

Carol Smit, a board director at the National Care Association, which represents the independent care sector, said that all care homes in Peterborough are following Government and Care Quality Commission guidelines with regards to testing, infection control and providing personal protecting equipment (PPE).

She told the Peterborough Telegraph: “From a private provider perspective we haven’t had problems because we are very strict and have complied with the requirements which are very clear.

“We’re satisfied in Peterborough that our homes are not accepting people from hospital without a swab and a negative result. Peterborough hospital has to confirm to us that clients are negative.

“If the test was done two weeks before discharge we want an update test within the past 48 hours. We are not accepting two-week-old test results.

“From our perspective we have been well supported by the local authority and the Care Quality Commission.”

Ms Smit added that some care homes spent more than £25,000 on PPE and received no money from the Government, although PPE is now being supplied for free.

A Peterborough City Council spokesperson said: “We’re working with all care home providers on what is a complex situation and challenging time.