County care homes will get more than £7 million to help reduce the transmission of coronavirus in care homes.

The Government has announced a £600 million Infection Control Fund which will be aimed at helping to reduce the transmission in local care homes.

The news was welcomed by West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin, who has been working closely with local care home providers and Worcestershire County Council to help ensure local carers are able to access the correct personal protective equipment.

Worcestershire has nearly 6000 registered care home beds and the funding will help to cover the costs of implementing measures to reduce transmission including staff training and improving NHS clinical support.

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.

Harriett commented: “I’ve kept in close contact with local care home providers as well as talking to the county council and local NHS teams to understand the challenges faced in the local care home sector.

“I’m glad to see that there is a good stock of personal protective equipment held by the Worcestershire resilience forum, and I have been able to raise local concerns swiftly and effectively.

“I’m pleased that the Health Secretary has also confirmed that domiciliary care is covered by these funds.

“Care homes are an incredibly valuable resource, delivering care for our elderly and vulnerable loved ones, and I welcome this extra cash to make them as safe as they can possibly be during this terrible crisis.”