Please find a copy of email below to stakeholders and care home providers on the First Minister’s announcement on testing for care home visitors and the outcome of the review 28 day care home closure period following an outbreak.
You will now likely be aware that today the First Minster announced accelerated timescales for lateral flow testing for care home visitors. The letter below was sent to the Health and Sport committee which summarises this update. The First Minister indicated that from next week we are trialling the use of lateral flow testing for designated visitors to care homes in care homes in five local authority areas. She also announced that testing kits will then be delivered to all care homes from 14th of December. This is a month earlier than originally announced. It is possible that not all homes will be able to make use of lateral flow tests available before Christmas, and so it is also planned to make PCR testing of visitors available – when that is necessary – over the festive period.
There is a significant amount of work required across national organisations, care homes and Health and Social Care Partnerships to support delivery and implementation. There will undoubtedly be learning and support required along the way at a local level as we move to full implementation and we will work with local partners to put this in place.
We are putting together a pack of guidance and training materials which the early adopters will use initially, providing feedback to allow us to refine for the benefit of the wider roll-out. We are mindful of the additional ask of care home staff and will continue to monitor this with support from Scottish Care, CCPS an COSLA.
We will also be hosting care home visitor testing workshop sessions w/c 7 December for care home providers and those supporting care homes . The first 3 dates have been organised as follows (calendar invites attached in case you want to forward. Further dates will follow) :
Wed 9th – 1pm till 2.30pm
Meeting Link:
Thur 10th – 11.30 till 1pm
Meeting Link:
Thurs 10th – 4pm till 5.30pm
Meeting Link:
You will note that the letter also refers to a review of the care home closure period following an outbreak. Currently this stands at 28 days but following consultation with the Directors of Public Health and Health Protection Scotland we are recommending that this is reduced to 14 days from the last date of COVID symptoms subject to a Health Protection Team (HPT) assessment and confirmation of safety. This brings the advice in line with that from Health Protection Scotland / Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection (ARHAI) Scotland who declare an outbreak over after 14 days if no new cases or symptoms develop – with a HPT risk assessment. We will work with partners to update guidance on this but in the meantime care homes should continue to take advice from their local Health Protection / oversight teams on reopening following an outbreak.
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