Government urged to expand COVID-19 testing to people receiving care at home

The Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) is calling for the government to extend its COVID-19 tests to the elderly and people with disabilities who receives care at home, after it announced the roll out of testing to all care homes.

The Department of Health and Social Care announced last week from 7 June, care homes catering for adults with learning disabilities or mental health needs, physical disabilities, acquired brain injuries and other conditions will be able to access COVID-19 testing.

’Testing needs to be available for people using care services at home’

While a welcome announcement, VODG is concerned that the government is continuing to overlook other parts of the sector including people who live in their own homes and those in supported living.

Dr Rhidian Hughes, VODG chief executive, said: “We are pleased that the Department of Health and Social Care will open up testing to everyone living in care homes, regardless of age or condition. But people who use other care services, such as care at home and supported living, have an equal right to be tested too.

“We have serious concerns about the lack of parity in government’s approach to testing. Government must protect all citizens, and we are concerned that its current programme continues to overlook some types of support for disabled people and the staff and carers.

“Testing needs to be made available immediate for disabled people using care services whether living in their own home or supported living and whether symptomatic or not."

He added: “As a country, we have been, and will continue to face an unprecedented crisis in the form of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We need government to apply testing, and all subsequent public health measures, in an equitable and consistent way across the country."

VODG is an organisation within the voluntary sector who work alongside disabled people. Their members work with around a million disabled people and employ more than 85,000 staff.

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