The Government has announced that Newham is to receive a share of a £600 million Infection Control Fund, launched to reduce the transmission of coronavirus on care homes.

Newham will receive £895,717 to support local care homes. There are currently 652 care home beds registered in the area.

The funding will be used ensure that care homes can continue their efforts to halt the spread of coronavirus by helping them cover the costs of implementing measures to reduce transmission. This includes:

• Rolling out training on infection control for staff
• Reducing transmission by supporting providers to reduce workforce movements
• Stepping up NHS clinical support to care homes

The fund comes on top of £3.2 billion that has already been made available to local authorities to support key public services, including social care, since the start of the crisis. It forms part of a wider package of support the Government is making available to care homes, which includes ensuring all care homes have they support they need with staffing and accessing PPE, and providing a named clinical contact from the NHS for every single care home. The named contact will assist care homes with weekly check-ins to review patients while helping staff with the use of equipment and medication.

The Government has also rolled out a new wellbeing package for social care staff, including two new helplines, led by the Samaritans and Hospice UK, to support care staff with their mental health and wellbeing.

Commenting, Nick Vandyke, the local Conservative candidate for the London Assembly, said:

Care staff are the heroes of this pandemic - working tirelessly to support those in our community who need it the most.

I do not underestimate how challenging a time this is for people living and working in care. This new funding will make a real different to local care homes in West Ham.

By putting in place stronger prevention, we can ensure that we continue to drive coronavirus out of our care homes, making them safer and better able to look after people who need it the most.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said:

This £600 million Infection Control Fund will help as we continue to reduce infections in care homes and save lives.

From the very start of this outbreak, we have been working to protect our brilliant social care workforce and the most vulnerable in our society.

Our package sets out clearly the extra steps local councils and care homes should be taking as we stamp out the spread of this virus.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said:

We have already provided councils with over £3.2 billion during this pandemic so that they can respond to the immediate pressures they are facing, including supporting social care.

This new funding will be distributed to councils based on the number of care home beds in their area and will be passed on quickly to care providers. It will fund new measures to reduce the transmission of coronavirus in care homes, minimise infection, keep staff and residents safe and, ultimately, save lives.

Notes

• Providing £3.8 billion to local authorities to bolster their response to Covid-19, including social care. We are providing an additional £3.8 billion to local authorities to help them respond to Covid-19 pressures across all the services they deliver, including an additional £600 million ringfenced for adult social care - to support care home providers to reduce the rate of transmission in and between care homes and support wider workforce resilience. (Department of Health and Social Care, News Story, 18 April 2020.)
• Giving councils greater financial relief by allowing them to defer £2.6 billion in business rates payments and paying £850 million in social care grants up front this month. These new measures mean councils will be able to defer £2.6 billion of payments they are due to make to central government over the next 3 months as part of the business rates retention scheme. Additionally, the government will bring forward care grant payments to councils worth £850 million for both children and adults. These will now all be paid this month, rather than monthly in April, May and June, and will help provide immediate support for core frontline social care services. (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Press release, 16 April 2020.)
• Publishing a new action plan for adult social care. This sets out the Government's plan for minimising the spread of the infection in care settings and supporting the workforce to address the unprecedented challenges posed by coronavirus. (Department of Health and Social Care, Adult Social Care Action Plan, 16 April 2020.)
• Ensuring all social care staff and care home residents can be tested. We have expanded eligibility so that all social care staff and care home residents can be tested regardless of whether they have symptoms. Anyone who is due to be discharged from hospital into a residential care setting will also be tested for the disease. (Department of Health and Social Care, Press Release, 15 April 2020; Department of Health and Social Care, Press release, 28 April 2020.)
• Launching a new online portal for care homes to arrange coronavirus testing, making it easier for staff and residents to get the tests they need to keep them safe. The portal will allow care homes to arrange deliveries of coronavirus tests kits, meaning that all symptomatic and asymptomatic care home staff and residents in England will be able to safely and easily get tested. (Department of Health and Social Care, Press Release, 11 May 2020.)
• Recognising the brilliant social care workforce for they do on the frontline against coronavirus. A new CARE brand will help us to recognise people who work in social care settings, and will make it easier for shops and businesses to offer them similar benefits to NHS staff. (Matt Hancock, Daily No 10 Press Conference, 15 April 2020, archived)