- Visits should be tailored to residents and facilities and
should prioritise residents and staff’s safety to limit the
transmission of Covid-19
- Care homes, especially those who haven’t allowed visits since
March, will be encouraged and supported to provide safe visiting
opportunities as new national restrictions come into effect
- Measures put in place should provide Covid-secure
opportunities for families to meet using visiting arrangements
such as floor to ceiling screens, visiting pods, and window
visits
All care home residents in England should be allowed to receive
visits from their family and friends in a Covid-secure way – with
social distancing and PPE - following new guidance to be used
while national restrictions are in place from Thursday 5
November.
The guidance will enable care home providers, families and local
professionals to work together to find the right balance between
the benefits of visiting on wellbeing and quality of life, and
the risk of transmission of COVID-19 to social care staff and
vulnerable residents.
It will set out clear principles for how visits are conducted –
with arrangements to be adapted from home to home, based on the
needs of their residents and taking into consideration factors
such as layout and facilities - and reiterates the importance of
ensuring social distancing and proper PPE use is observed.
Options for safe care home visits in line with the guidance could
include:
- Visits using Covid-secure visiting areas/pods with floor to
ceiling screens and windows where the visitor and resident enter
through different entrances, are separated by screens and
visitors do not need to enter or pass through the care home;
- Visits at windows, where the visitor doesn’t need to come
inside the care home or where the visitor remains in their car,
and the resident is socially distanced;
- Outdoor visits with one other person - visitors can meet
outside with a loved one, in areas which can be accessed without
anyone going through a shared building and;
- Further support for virtual visits, encouraging the use of
video calls.
Plans are currently being developed to allow specific family and
friends to visit care homes supported by testing. A sector-led
group is overseeing the development of these plans with trials
set to begin later this month.
A new national programme for weekly testing of professionals who
regularly visit care homes, including community nurses and
physiotherapists, will also be rolled out in the coming weeks
following a successful pilot in Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and
Northamptonshire.
Health and Social Care Secretary, , said:
“I know how heart-breaking and incredibly frustrating it has
been for families and friends who haven’t been able to see their
loved ones during the pandemic.
“Care homes should feel empowered by this new guidance to look at
safe options to allow visits to care homes that suit their
residents and facilities. We’ve seen some really innovative
solutions used to help families see each other safely,
face-to-face, which has been life-changing for some.
“It is vital high quality, compassionate care and infection
control remains at the heart of every single care home to protect
staff and resident’s lives, but we must allow families to reunite
in the safest way possible.”
Minister for Care, said:
“I know how incredibly hard visiting restrictions have been
for families, friends and residents in care homes. There is no
escaping the pain and the very real consequences of being
separated for such a long period of time. The accounts I have
heard personally are truly heart-breaking, especially where care
homes have been unable to reopen for visiting during the
summer.
“I am determined to bring loved ones back together even
during this second wave of the pandemic; that’s why I am advising
care homes to enable Covid-secure visits across the country.
“We are also working to trial testing for visitors, so that
we can reduce the risk of indoor visits and give families more
opportunities to spend time with relatives in care homes.
“We must get the balance right between reuniting families and
ensuring care staff and residents are safe from COVID-19.”
The government is also working with providers to help them
communicate to families and help them plan visits in a way that
minimises the wider risks – for example, avoiding travelling to
and from the home using public transport, or maintaining social
distance from other families when they arrive at the home for
their visit.
Visits outside of these principles should still be allowed in
exceptional circumstances such as end of life.
Care homes should support the NHS Test and Trace system by
keeping a temporary record, including address and phone number,
of current and previous residents, staff and visitors as well as
keeping track of visitor numbers and staff. It is recommended
homes have an arrangement to enable bookings or appointments for
visitors and ad hoc visits should not be permitted.
Protecting staff and residents has been a priority throughout the
pandemic, with 120,000 tests being sent out every day solely for
the care sector. The government has provided access to £3.7
billion for local authorities through un-ringfenced grants so
they can address the expenditure pressures they are facing in
response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including social care, as well
as £1.1 billion provided to support infection control in care
homes.
In addition, 11,000 iPad tablets, worth £7.5 million, will soon
be distributed to thousands of care homes across England to help
residents keep in touch with loved ones.
