The county council has received an additional £6.6million from the Government to help tackle the spread of coronavirus in care homes and protect those who receive care at home.

The money comes from the government's Adult Social Care Infection Control fund which was introduced in May 2020 to help halt the spread of Covid-19 in and between care homes, by limiting staff movement and protecting wages. The funding is in addition to an earlier payment of £7.7m, which was shared with care providers in May.

Eighty per cent of the fund will be allocated directly to care providers supporting vulnerable adults in residential care, or in their own homes. They can use the funds to:

• Make sure staff don't lose income if they are self-isolating
• Limit the movement of staff travelling between care homes, and the number of different staff who visit individuals in their own home, by recruiting extra staff or covering additional costs to make working in fewer locations possible
• Pay for staff transport so that use of public transport is limited
• Make sure staff can travel for Covid-19 tests if required and that they are paid their usual wages if they have to attend work to be tested
• Provide accommodation for staff who are living apart from their families
• Support safe visiting, including extra staff, cleaning or building alterations

The remaining 20 per cent will be used to support day services, carers' support services, individuals who employ their own personal assistants and the voluntary sector with infection control, as well as making sure the county has enough stocks of PPE.

The council has already received the first instalment, which will be paid to care providers at the end of the month. The second instalment will be received and distributed in December 2020.

Together with its partners, the council has offered increased support to care homes - making sure they have adequate supplies of PPE (and training to use it), improved access to Covid-19 testing, screening of patients before hospital discharge, and regular infection prevention and control advice.

Cllr Carole Allaway-Martin, cabinet member for adult social care commissioning at Gloucestershire County Council, said: "Gloucestershire County Council stands with carers across our county in the fight against coronavirus. Care providers and their dedicated staff protect our most vulnerable people, so it's vital that we do everything we can to help them stay safe and keep the people they care for safe too.

"We will also use this money to help carers' support services, day services and others who are doing a fantastic job caring for people, prevent the spread of Covid-19 and keep themselves and the people they care for safe."