CARE home residents and staff will face temperature checks every day in a bid to stop Covid-19 once again causing havoc in institutions – after winter plans were drawn up.

The Scottish Government will spend an extra £112 million to prepare care homes to deal with Covid-19 this winter and has agreed to review the current staff testing regime in care homes.

The concerns come after hundreds of Scotland’s care homes faced outbreaks of coronavirus in the first wave of the virus – with almost half of the total deaths taking place in the institutions.

A damning report from Public Health Scotland last week revealed that 112 known-positive hospital patients were moved to care homes and thousands were sent to institutions without being tested in the early weeks of the pandemic, before tighter testing procedures were in place.

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Health boards will receive a share of £7 million to invest in nurse director teams, there will be daily reviews of Covid-19 symptoms in care home residents and staff including temperature checking and wider testing access for those who provide care at home.

There will also be expanded testing access for care workers and designated visitors to care home residents as Scotland’s testing capacity increases by the end of the year.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman also indicated the Scottish Government will consider any changes that can be made to visiting guidance to be more flexible while £50 million will be made available to help restrict the movement of staff across institutions.

She said that the plan has been “informed by the lessons we have learned so far”.

Ms Freeman added: “The coronavirus pandemic presents unprecedented challenges for everyone this winter, particularly those who are already vulnerable.

“One in 20 people in Scotland are recipients of adult social care and their needs are diverse. We have made this central to our approach, ensuring we support and protect people while prioritising their mental health and well-being.

“This is the first time we have published an adult social care plan. It has been produced with input from across all partners and I’m pleased to say that it has the support of our colleagues at Cosla. It sets out what support will be available for people who receive social care and those who provide that care this winter, as well as addressing the impacts Covid-19 has had on them and their families.

“The new measures we are putting in place have been informed by the lessons we have learned so far, and the evidence paper published today outlines why these measures are necessary for winter. We will continue to take firm action to protect those who receive or provide social care, and adapt our guidance based on the latest scientific evidence and clinical advice.”

The Scottish Government’s plan will prioritise a ‘home first’ approach to care – which supports people staying at home for as long as possible and £50 million will be put into the social care staff support fund up to the end of March 2021.

NHS National Services Scotland will continue to provide top-up and emergency provision of PPE to staff, unpaid carers and social care personal assistants until at least the end of March 2021.

Stuart Currie, Cosla’s health and social care spokesperson, said: “The social care sector and Scotland’s social care workers have faced enormous challenges during the Covid-19 response, and the adult social care plan will enable them to continue to provide valuable help and support to those in the community that need it most.

“The pandemic has had a drastic impact on those that require support both at home and in residential settings, and the funding announced by the Scottish Government as part of the plan will go some way to addressing that.

“Cosla will continue to work with Scottish Government and partners across the sector to ensure that they receive the support they need to continue this vital work.”

But the Scottish Greens have warned that care home staff are not being re-tested for the virus for 90 days after they become ill – with Ms Freeman agreeing to review the policy.

Scottish Greens health spokesperson, Alison Johnstone, said: “Given that we know so little about reinfection of Covid-19 and that there has been at least once documented case of an individual being re-infected after 48 days, it isn’t safe to exempt staff from routine testing for almost three months."

“The safety of our dedicated care home staff and residents must be paramount and every precaution should be taken, especially since cases are again on the rise. We urgently need clarity about the science behind this 90-day period and why it seems to be at odds with evidence that people can be re-infected with Covid much sooner.

“I’m pleased the Health Secretary agreed to review this exemption. Plans for the care home sector must reflect the growing body of evidence concerning reinfection.”