All care home residents in England should be allowed Covid-secure visits says government

The government has issued new guidance to care homes in England saying all residents should be allowed Covid-secure visits, using visitor pods, window visits or outdoor visits with one person.

The new guidance is intended to support safe care home visits during lockdown which starts in England on Thursday 5 November. It says visits need to be tailored to the residents and the care home and even those homes that haven’t allowed visits since March will be encouraged to provide safe visits in a Covid-secure way with social distancing and PPE.

Care homes can use external visitor pods where the visitor and resident enter through different entrances and visitors do not need to enter the care home. Residents can also have window visits or the visitor can remain in the car socially distanced from the resident.

Under the guidance, residents can also have an outdoor visit with one visitor in areas which can be accessed without anyone going through a shared building.

The government also wants to encourage more virtual visits, such as video calls.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock, 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.”

Some care homes such as Annacliffe Residential Care Home in Blackpool have already installed a visitor pod on its forecourt, so residents can once again meet their family and friends.

'No more waving through windows'

Owner and manager, Alexandra Burke, said: “We are absolutely delighted for our residents. Finally, after months of uncertainty and anxiety for our wonderful, but infection-vulnerable residents, we are able to offer them a space, a totally separate space, in which they can meet their family and loved ones in person.

“No more waving through windows. No more wordless meetings. I am so delighted for them all, as well as for their families and our staff. Cube Modular has given us the perfect solution to continue through these most worrying times. I couldn’t be more pleased to have been able to make this happen for everyone involved. The pod really has brought a ray of sunshine to our residents.”

Brandon Weston, managing director at Cube Modular, which designed and installed the pod, added: “We are thrilled to have made this possible for everyone at Annacliffe. When we arrived to install the pod, the excitement was palpable. The look on everyone’s faces said it all!

“The response to our care home visitor pods initiative has been immense. We are delighted that we can offer care homes a unique, portable building solution which not only enables a personal and controlled contact between care home residents and loved ones during the pandemic, but also does so in a most safe, secure, and risk-mitigating way.”

Knellwood care home in Farnborough has also had two Cube Modular pods installed in its grounds which it has named ‘Lily Pod’ and ‘Alice Pod’.

'Visiting is a must for the residents'

Its manager Krishnan Gnanasekaran said: “My view is visiting is a must for the residents who reside in a care home. Without visits from their loved ones, elderly people lose hope and deteriorate rapidly.”

Eastleigh Care Homes has installed the Covid-secure guest pods at the entrance of three of its care homes, with owner and chairman Garry Wilson saying: “Following a long period of lockdown and shielding, with currently no end in sight, we are totally delighted to offer our residents and their families a new and secure area to meet up. The smile on everyone’s faces says it all.”

The government is currently drawing up plans 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.

Minister for Care, Helen Whately 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.” She added: “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.”

The government is working with providers to help them communicate to families and plan visits in a way that minimises wider risks such as avoiding travelling to and from the care home using public transport, or maintaining social distance from other families when they arrive at the home for their visit.

Care homes will be expected to 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.

The government recommends that care homes have an arrangement to enable bookings or appointments for visitors and do not allow ad hoc visits.

Vic Rayner, executive director of the National Care Forum called the guidance "a positive step" although she said: "As a bare minimum" the government needs "to provide homes with additional financial support to rapidly put the necessary measures in place so that visiting can be a reality for all in care homes during this period".

But Kate Lee, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, expressed concern that the new guidance from the government still leaves people with dementia who are often "bed-bound and struggling to speak" isolated. She said: “Distraught families will read this news and despair."

For more information about Cube Modular visitor pods click here