Scarborough based Saint Cecilia’s Care Group to pay for Covid-19 tests to keep residents safe

Saint Cecilia’s Care Group says it is happy to allow visitors into its nursing home and three care homes but wants to protect its residents and staff too.

Managing Director Mike Padgham said: “We believe, with infection rates for Covid-19 soaring, that the Government might have been a little premature in relaxing so many of the rules.

“From April 1, we are happy to have visitors, but we will still require them to take a test. To prevent that being a financial burden, for now we will provide a test when they arrive or supply them with tests to use before they come, at no expense.

“Our residents and their relatives were apart for too long during the pandemic and so we are pleased that they are now able to enjoy more contact with each other.

“But, like all care providers, we are mindful that we are caring for some of the most vulnerable people in the community and some of the most susceptible to Covid-19, so we have to keep protecting them as best we can.

“We must never forget that more than 45,000 care and nursing home residents have been lost to Covid-19.”

The care provider is also mindful of the impact an outbreak can have.

“If we have a Covid-19 breakout at one of our homes, it has serious repercussions for us and there is no longer any support from the Government,” Mr Padgham added.

“We have to keep our residents safe and, to the best of our ability, protect our staff too, so that we can remain a viable operation and keep on providing care for around 110 people.”

The testing will include the care group’s Nursing Home on Filey Road in Scarborough, the Saint Cecilia’s and Normanby House care homes in Scarborough and the Alba Rose care home in Pickering.