New investment's been announced to support infection control measures and testing in care homes, supported accommodation, and home care services in Lancashire to help keep vulnerable people safe from Covid-19.

The government is providing £6.7m to the county from its Infection Control and Testing Fund to cover costs from 1 July to 30 September.

Lancashire County Council has written to around 500 organisations which provide around 750 different services to ensure they receive their share of the funding.

The grant can fund measures including the costs of carrying out testing of staff and visitors in care homes to enable family and friends to have close contact while visiting. It can also meet costs for training and recruitment of staff needed to carry out tests, and ensuring staff receive their normal wages if they need to self-isolate. There are also various measures that services need to take to prevent the spread of infection and the grant will also contribute towards these costs.

County Councillor Graham Gooch, cabinet member for adult services, said: "Organisations across Lancashire have done a fantastic job throughout the pandemic ensuring that our most vulnerable people receive the care and support they need.

"It's vital that we do all we can to protect them from the virus by having robust infection control procedures and testing arrangements.

"I'm very pleased that we've received a further substantial grant from the government to support providers with the costs of infection control over the coming months.

"We're already working closely with social care services to ensure they can access this funding, as well as continuing to ensure they have everything they need to minimise the risk to everyone who relies on Lancashire's care services."