Care home visit scheme to be piloted in England with relatives treated like key workers

A pilot scheme is to be run in England enabling relatives to be treated like key workers and given regular tests enabling them to visit residents in care homes.

Care minister Helen Whately told Science and Technology and Health and Social Care committees she would like to see family members treated as essential workers and given weekly testing and PPE to enable safe visits.

Ms Whately said: “Visiting is incredibly important for residents and their families and care homes. I really want us to enable visiting but it must be safe.

“I am planning for us to launch a pilot on [visiting loved ones] shortly. I can’t give you a date but what I can say is we're moving forward with it and we are going to pilot it.”

This statement comes after the Scottish health secretary announced this week that the Scottish government is to relax their current care home restrictions.

The new guidelines will see 30-minute visits extended to four hours and outdoor visits can be extended to include up to six visitors from no more than two households, including children and young people, for up to one hour per visit.

Pressure has been piling on the government to ease restrictions on visiting in care homes in England, with dementia group, John's Campaign arguing the current government guidance on visiting is unlawful and breaches human rights.

'Meaningful and regular visiting is a clear part of every resident’s care'

Vic Rayner, executive director at the National Care Forum welcomed news of the pilot and said: “NCF, alongside a wide range of partners, have been calling for this since June. It has been highlighted in sector-wide visitor protocols and members have been exploring how this can work in practice for some time.

“The government must act quickly to move us to a place where this pilot comes into play, and we move to a situation across the country where the default assumption is that meaningful and regular visiting is a clear part of every resident’s care.

"For many, the decisions that are taken about visiting are life-changing and potentially life-limiting. None of this is easy – but nothing that mattered ever was.”

Kate Lee, chief executive at Alzheimer’s Society, expressed "delight" that the "government has listened to Alzheimer’s Society and other dementia charities, and announced a pilot scheme granting family carers key worker status. But ‘soon’ isn’t enough for people losing their partners, mums, dads and grandparents – we need the ‘when’ and the ‘where’, plus plans for national rollout. Time is of the essence."

Ms Whately told MPs "You have to recognise if a visitor takes COVID in, they are not just endangering the individual they are visiting, but it is very hard to control COVID within a residential setting."

Ms Whately also spoke to the committee about care homes hiring agency workers and reducing the spread of coronavirus from one care home to another. She said: “As of now, staff must only work in one setting.

“As of now, it is mandated and no longer simply guidance.”