Surrey Care Association is urging people not to visit their loved ones in care homes this Christmas.

The association says it is worried the "flawed" rapid test kits mean people may unwittingly infect their elderly relatives.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock promised that lateral flow tests, which return a result within half an hour, would allow people to "have meaningful contact with their loved ones by Christmas".

Families could be reunited thanks to the "unprecedented strides made in testing technology", said Mr Hancock, and care homes would have enough to test two visitors for every resident, twice a week.

But SCA chair Simon Carter said the organisation has "grave reservations" and that the "harsh reality" was "at odds with that being portrayed by topline government messaging".

"We of course recognise the huge importance of visits from family members and the positive impact they have, but the consequences of relaxing our guard and getting this wrong are so dire that we need to proceed with the utmost caution," he said.

The organisation, which supports social care providers in the county, worries providers are being put under pressure to allow visits, and has asked Surrey County Council to write to the families of care home residents to advise them of the risk.

Detection rate below 50%.

Research by the University of Liverpool on people without symptoms, released on Friday (December 11th) by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), revealed the US-made Innova tests most widely used in care homes only had a 48.89% detection rate. So more than half the people in the study who were in fact carrying the virus believed, after taking the test, that they were not infected. The research paper reveals that the Liverpool Health Protection Board last month postponed plans to use the test to allow people to visit their relatives in care homes "due to the accuracy statistics". Professor of biostatistics Jonathan Deeks wrote in the British Medical Journal: "If a test misses 50% of infections, people with a negative result are not in the clear – their chances of active infection are simply half what they were before the test. "Allowing half of infected people, and one third of those with high viral loads, to unwittingly take the virus into hospitals, family homes, and care homes will not reduce the spread of the infection and could put lives at risk," he wrote. Mr Carter said: "Knowing this, and understanding too that the manufacturers of the lateral flow tests advise against using the tests in care settings, it would be reckless and irresponsible for our members to admit visitors simply because they've returned a negative test result." Individual care homes have put their own measures in place, so whether visits can go ahead does depend on the particular provider. Age UK have warned: "The impact of taking visitors away from people on a prolonged basis has been closely observed all over the country, with people and organisations commenting on the raw reality of residents going downhill fast." Plea for patience.

The SCA said, with the end in sight thanks to the vaccine, it is making a plea for patience.

"For months, our members, and their staff, have worked tirelessly to create safe environments for their residents, shielding them from undue risk," said Mr Carter. "Their wellbeing and safety is our absolute priority.

"With the vaccine at the point of roll-out across the care sector, we're on the cusp of being able to gain control of the virus.

"Taking risks at this stage then, purely for short-term benefit when long-term relief is in reach, is something we simply cannot countenance."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Extensive testing has shown lateral flow devices are suitable for use in care homes where they can help to identify people who are the most likely to spread the virus further and therefore support the prevention of transmission of the disease from staff and visitors.

"Testing is only part of the approach and it's essential visitors wear PPE and follow all infection control methods to keep their loved ones, other residents and staff as safe as possible.

"Care home residents in all tiers will have the chance to see their relatives before Christmas and homes across the country are arranging visits now."

Other measures in place.

A Surrey County Council spokesman said: "It is important to recognise that lateral flow tests are just one of a range of methods that can contribute to safe visiting and this includes the use personal protection equipment (PPE), hand hygiene, taking temperatures, screens, cleaning etc. "Published materials place the sensitivity (whether the tests can identify those without the disease) of the LFT tests at about 50-75%. For this reason it is very important that a negative LFT does not result in a reduction in appropriate Covid infection control precautions including PPE, hand hygiene and social distancing in either staff or visitors. "Registered providers and registered managers are responsible for doing everything that they can to ensure that residents and staff are safe and that they maintain a Covid secure environment."