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Extra money to fight Covid in Gloucestershire’s care homes

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The county council has distributed more than £500,000 additional funding to support Gloucestershire care homes in the controlling the spread of Coronavirus.

The money, part of a total of £6.6m the council has distributed so far, will be paid to care providers in the county so that they can prevent the spread of infection to some of our most vulnerable Gloucestershire residents.

This includes: supporting staff to travel safely and providing accommodation for those who choose to stay separately from their families to protect the residents they work with.

This will be the third round of funding that the council has distributed from the Government’s Infection Control Fund. The latest allocation comes as changes to care home visiting guidance are introduced, meaning that friends and families will have the chance to reconnect with their loved ones.

Cllr Carole Allway-Martin, cabinet Member for Adult Social Care Commissioning, said: “Our care homes are at the forefront of the fight against Coronavirus, and the county council is backing them up in this most difficult and serious job. Whilst we are now on the road to a more normal life, Covid hasn’t gone away, and we must keep doing everything we can to protect our most vulnerable residents.”

The Adult Social Care Infection Control Fund was first introduced in May 2020 to support adult social care providers to reduce the rate of coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission within and between care settings, in particular by helping to reduce the need for staff movements between sites.

The Adult Social Care Infection Control Fund is just one part of the overall pot of money that has been given to local authorities by Government to support the care sector over the last twelve months. Further allocations have included: a £5 million financial boost to meet the additional costs care settings have experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly £2 million pounds to support the roll out of rapid, regular testing of care staff and a £3,000 discretionary payment offered to every care home, to purchase or build facilities which would support COVID-safe visits.

Find out more about the adult social care infection control fund.