Home care staff want same access to COVID-19 tests as NHS and care home workers

Home care staff and charities are demanding the government give them the same access to regular COVID-19 testing as those working in residential care and the NHS.

In July, the government rolled out weekly testing for all care home staff and monthly testing for residents, however, home care workers are only eligible for a test if they show symptoms.

There are over 700,000 care workers supporting people at home in the UK.

The decision not to give home care workers equal access to testing creates the impression the government sees them as "low priority", according to UKHCA which represents home care providers.

Olga Garcier, manager at Penrose Care in London, told BBC Radio 4, she lives in fear of passing the virus on and feels alone and let down by the government.

“When the pandemic started, even before the lockdown, my company were taking all types of precautions, but every day leaving the house was a risk because I was surrounded by people who weren’t taking precautions, so for me every time I was leaving the house I was scared of catching the virus and spreading it.

“I was trying to avoid trains which meant sometimes walking for two hours just to get to my client to try and keep them safe, keep myself safe but at the end you feel a bit alone in this situation because you see that you are taking risks with your own life."

Ms Garcier is frustrated with the fact the NHS, care home and nursing staff all have regular access to testing but home care workers do not have that option.

“When they started doing the testing, I wanted to be tested, but they didn’t give us the option because we weren’t in a care home and we weren’t from the NHS. It was very difficult for me and my colleagues.

“I don’t want to put my clients at risk. I would like as a home care worker to be tested at least once a month or at least once every three weeks. I would feel safe and my would can be done properly and I am not risking my clients.”

'I don't want my clients to be put at risk'

The BBC programme also heard from Gabrielle who is shielding and relies on care workers to look after her elderly mum.

She said: “My mum has Alzheimer’s and she currently has two carers who alternate. I would like to see carers who work in people’s homes have access to regular testing.

“We know people are working with the vulnerable so it doesn’t make any sense that they are not tested when we’d agree that people working in care homes should be tested. That life is no less important than anyone else’s.”

The risk of infection among home care workers is much lower than among the care home workforce, according to Public Health England which states regular testing for home care staff is not recommended.

United Kingdom Home Care Association’s policy director Colin Angel said: “Fortunately, the rate of transmission of coronavirus amongst home care workers does not seem to be any higher than in the general population. This appears to be government’s rationale for not routinely testing home care workers who do not have symptoms.

“But we are talking about a group of older or disabled people who may be more susceptible to coronavirus.

“It seems to be illogical that home care workers and the people they support are currently excluded from asymptomatic testing. This has certainly created a sense that people who use home care services and our workforce have received a low priority in government’s thinking.”

Edel Harris, chief executive of learning disabilities charity Mencap, is also calling for parity with the NHS and care homes, saying: “At Mencap, we absolutely agree with that principle. We support over 5,000 people with a learning disability across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

"Most of those people live in supported living settings, not care homes, so we really are calling on the government to act and to make sure that everyone is prioritised for testing and has access to the rolling programme.”

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