Elderly can leave care homes to form 'Christmas bubbles' with family suggests Cabinet Office

Care home residents can leave residential care to form a ‘Christmas bubble’ with family indoors during 23-27 December and while current guidance does not apply to people aged over 65, the Cabinet Office has said updated regulations being drawn up will not include a specific reference to care homes.

A Cabinet Office spokeswoman told The Times: “Care home residents will, like everyone else, be able to take advantage, legally, of the regulations that permit people to form a Christmas bubble, but should follow live guidance on doing so.”

Asked if this meant that care home residents over the age of 65 would be able to leave, the Cabinet Office declined to comment, saying “anything further will be set out shortly”.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has said it will update its Christmas guidance.

Its guidance currently states: ‘Spending time with others outside the care home will increase risk of exposure to coronavirus for the resident and the other residents in their home on their return, and is likely to place an additional burden on the care home.

'Given this, visits out of care homes should only be considered for residents of working age.’

Residents aged below 65 can according to this guidance form a bubble with one other household but should not form a three-household Christmas bubble.

'If a care home resident does join a household for Christmas they should maintain social distance, wash hands regularly, and let plenty of fresh air into rooms by opening windows and doors.'

Others in the household are advised to ‘take steps to minimise the risk to the care home resident by limiting the number of people they meet for two weeks prior to allowing a care home resident into their household.

'Families are advised to talk to the care home about getting tested prior to meeting the care home resident outside the care home. To safely return to the care home, the resident will need to be tested and isolated.'

The guidance adds: 'Residents, their families and care homes should very carefully consider whether this is the right thing to do or whether visiting at the care home would provide contact in a safer way.'

Gavin Terry from the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “It would be useful to have clearer guidance from government for families and care homes, to help them navigate potentially tricky conversations between care homes and families about whether people can leave safely for Christmas.”