Banbury 'extra care home' with coronavirus patient is refused Covid-19 testing kits because 'it is not a care home'

A Banbury care home with 70 elderly and vulnerable residents has been refused testing kits for coronavirus even though one of the occupants has been confirmed to have Covid-19.
Stanbridge House where a case of coronavirus has been confirmed. The home has been refused testing kits for remaining residentsStanbridge House where a case of coronavirus has been confirmed. The home has been refused testing kits for remaining residents
Stanbridge House where a case of coronavirus has been confirmed. The home has been refused testing kits for remaining residents

Stanbridge House care managers, desperate to contain any spread of the virus, have made repeated attempts to obtain test kits for the other residents and 25 staff but have been thwarted at every turn.

In spite of government assurances that kits are available to all care homes, the manager at Stanbridge House has been refused all applications. The government portal has refused to accept the request and appeals to Oxfordshire County Council, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Public Health England only refer her back to the portal.

Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group - which buys health care for the population - says residents are tenants and therefore Stanbridge House is not a 'registered care home' so does not fall under government testing policy. It says residents and staff can go to testing centres along with other members of the public.

Dhan Bhandari and his mother GomibenDhan Bhandari and his mother Gomiben
Dhan Bhandari and his mother Gomiben

Banbury MP Victoria Prentis has approached a special Covid-19 hotline for MPs seeking a resolution to the problem and is pressing for tests as soon as possible.

Dhan Bhandari, whose 89-year-old mother Gomiben is a resident, said: "My mother is in the a higher risk category - she is Indian, has diabetes, high blood pressure, breathing difficulties and is disabled.

"The CQC inspects the home. It is a housing association scheme in the care sector, partnered by government and the county council social care department. To be able to live there you need to be accepted as requiring clinical care and a lot of residents are getting care. There are 29 who are disabled and six with dementia.

"It has been put under the same lockdown restrictions as every other care home and it is completely unacceptable that now, with a Covid-19 case confirmed, the other residents and staff cannot get testing kits like any other organisation providing these services.

"It seems to be an arbitrary cut-off. Is it because they are rationing tests? Under their instructions, my mother would have to apply for a test by herself and she is not in a fit state to do that. And I am not allowed to take her to a testing centre."

A spokesperson for OCCG said: “The residents of Stanbridge House have a tenancy agreement so the property is considered to be their home. They are not considered to be living in a care home.

"It does not fall under the current COVID-19 testing policy and as a result the manager has not been able to register for testing kits under the care home testing policy. However, the staff and residents are able to access testing in the local testing centres along with other members of the public."

Banbury MP Victoria Prentis said: "I was really concerned to hear that Stanbridge House have not been able to access Covid-19 tests for their residents.

"Following an email from a family member of a resident, I raised the matter directly with the Covid-19 Testing team at the Department of Health and Social Care. They have told me that they are looking into the case and have contacted the Thames Valley Health Protection Trust so they can arrange testing.

"I have made it very clear to the Covid-19 Testing team that the whole care home must receive tests as a matter of urgency in light of the recently confirmed case.”

o It is understood the Public Health Testing department has written to Stanbridge Hall today (Tuesday) to say staff may receive tests but the residents do not qualify.