direct to your inboxStepping Hill Hospital continued to discharge patients to care homes without testing them for Covid-19 even after it became compulsory in mid-April.The government has been strongly criticised for ‘recklessly’ allowing patients to be sent to care environments in the early weeks of the pandemic.But on April 15 last year it announced a policy of ‘testing all residents prior to admission to care homes’.A new adult social care plan said: "We can now confirm we will move to institute a policy of testing all residents prior to admission to care homes."This will begin with all those being discharged from hospital and the NHS will have a responsibility for testing these specific patients, in advance of timely discharge." However,.