Dr. Kathleen MacLellan:

From 12 March, there was guidance on the testing of those who were being discharged to nursing homes. The guidance on the testing was in line with the case definition available in March. At that time, knowledge and information were simply not available suggesting that there was so much asymptomatic transmission and that the presentation of Covid-19 was atypical within older people and not in line with the traditional signs that were being examined.

With regard to the numbers being transferred out, there is a section in the expert panel report that points out that the hospital inpatient inquiry system, HIPE, data have captured those who would have had a Covid diagnosis in hospital at some stage. It is not necessarily related to whether they were discharged with Covid or admitted with it. With regard to those who were discharged from hospitals to nursing homes, four hundred would have been Covid positive and 11 would have been Covid probable. Our understanding, which would have been confirmed, is that the guidance of 12 March would have been adhered to but the clinical decisions on discharges are obviously made at local level by the clinical doctors. I am not sure whether Dr. Kennelly wants to follow up on that.