RECENT NEWS

The UK government is to spend an extra £600m on infection control in care and nursing homes to help the fight against Covid-19.

The outbreak of Covid-19 has led to the death of least 20,000 people in care homes in England and Wales according to an estimate by Reuters based on official data.

Social care is the sector most likely to recover in 2021 from a UK economic downturn according to commercial property specialists Instant Offices.

Care providers fear a spike in the number of care and nursing home deaths from coronavirus if lockdown restrictions are lifted too quickly despite a downward trend in weekly data.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has launched an online portal for care homes in England to arrange the supply of Covid-19 testing kits.

White goods manufacturer Miele GB has appointed Clare Humphrey to lead launches of new products for its professional division.

The rate of Covid-19 related deaths among social care workers in England and Wales is twice the national average, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

UK guidance on discharging hospital patients to care homes is likely to form a key plank of a future public inquiry into the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to law firm Kingsley Napley.

A group of first-time care home buyers has acquired the Faith House residential property in the South Gloucestershire village of Severn Beach off an asking price of £600,000.

Care home residents are set to benefit from new technology that offers easier access to a GP while minimising risk of infection from Covid-19.

Carers and families are being encouraged to embrace VE Day as an opportunity to open conversations around music to help people living with dementia rediscover their favourite tracks.

Bath manufacturer Gainsborough Healthcare Group is to restart production from 11 May while following UK government Covid-19 safety guidelines.

Legal & General’s later living business Inspired Villages has won planning permissions for three developments in Bedfordshire, Kent and North Yorkshire.

A dedicated app for the adult social care workforce in England has been launched by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to support staff through the coronavirus pandemic.

The Infection Prevention Society (IPS) has released training slides for carers to provide a summary of procedures required to protect residents from Covid-19.

Surrey care provider Churchlake Care is to acquire three homes in Cumbria - Holmwood, Hames Hall and Chichester Hall – previously owned by Lakeland Care Group.

A survey of National Care Forum (NCF) members has found fewer than a quarter of staff displaying Covid-19 symptoms have been tested despite a government commitment for care workers.

Hallmark Care Homes has held a ceremony to mark the start of construction of a new 64-bed residential and dementia care facility in the West Sussex village of Angmering.

Skills for Care has launched a new advice line to support the sector’s 20,000 registered managers and other front-line managers in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Care home deaths related to Covid-19 in England and Wales registered in the week ending 24 April rose by 36% on the previous seven days, according to official data.