Visitors of care homes will be required to carry out COVID-19 tests prior to the visits, must wear PPE and are asked to limit physical contact
Visits to care homes from a nominated friend or relative will be permitted in England from today, but hugging and kissing the residents of care homes is still off limits.
Every resident of care homes in England will be able to nominate someone to visit them indoors, within the home, while residents who require the highest care needs will be permitted to receive more frequent visits from a loved one who can provide essential care to them, as well as support.
Visitors will be required to carry out tests for COVID-19 prior to the visits, must be wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and will be asked to keep any physical contact with residents to a minimum.
Hugs and kisses will not be permitted in order to help curb the chance of spreading the coronavirus, but handholding will be allowed, according to the government’s latest visiting guidance by.
Visiting is not conditional on the care home resident or the visitor having been vaccinated against COVID-19; however, it is “strongly recommended”.
This comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been accused of misleading the House of Commons, following government advice occupants of care homes were “very unlikely” to contract COVID-19.
The reopening of England’s care homes is part of the UK government’s first step in the easing of lockdown restrictions as its road map out of the nationwide lockdown gets under way.
The government will be deciding whether or not to extend the number of visitors of care homes to two per resident at step two of its road map and no earlier than the 12th of April.
While campaigners in the country have welcomed this resumption of visits, some say that this new set of guidance does not go far enough.
The Relatives & Residents Association is requesting that the Care Quality Commission to go even further and to proactively monitor how care homes in England are complying with the guidance.
The Relatives & Residents Association is requesting that the Care Quality Commission to go even further and to proactively monitor how care homes in England are complying with the guidance.
Director Helen Wildbore said: “The new guidance lacks the teeth necessary to ensure the prime minister’s promise to reunite older people with their families becomes a reality.
“Instead the government continue to pass the buck on to care providers without providing the clarity and direction needed to make sure this happens.”
This comes after the EU has used an export control mechanism for the first time to prevent a shipment of doses being shipped before they are given to the bloc. The European Commission and Italy have blocked a shipment of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine that was destined for use in Australia.
The Alzheimer’s Society has said that the resumptions of visits “couldn’t have come soon enough” following the months of the nation’s families seeing their loved ones only through windows and screens from a distance.
The head of public affairs and campaigns, James White, said: “Close contact indoor visits must be the default position – so it’s good the government has been clear that blanket bans on visiting are not acceptable.
“We’ve campaigned for many months to ensure family carers are recognised as essential to the care of people with dementia.”
He added: “We’ll be monitoring the situation very carefully to ensure all types of permitted visits are happening, and look for them to be extended to more family members at the earliest possible opportunity.”
