Matt Hancock says he's 'working on' care home residents going out without 14-day isolation rule

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said care home residents and their families may have some “good news" soon as the Government is “working on” how care home residents can leave their care homes for trips out and return safely without having to isolate for two weeks on they return.

At a Downing Street briefing (28 April), Matt Hancock was asked by a member of public when residents will be able to go outside for a walk without having to self-isolate and replied that he hoped to have ‘some good news’ on the issue soon.

Current government guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) issued on 7 April, requires residents to isolate in their rooms for 14 days on there return if they leave the grounds of their care home.

The government has been threatened with legal action over the rule, which campaigners say asks care homes to act unlawfully by falsely imprisoning residents.

Relative: 'Please help us'

During the briefing, Rachel from Derby told Mr Hancock that her mother had not been able to leave her care home for almost 14 months and is now taking anti-depressants after her condition deteriorated.

Rachel said: “Please help us find a safe way for this to happen very soon.”

Mr Hancock said he was aware of the “risks and health consequences” of care home residents not having visitors and not being able to go out without then needing to isolate.

Health secretary: 'Make sure that we can get the rules right'

“We are working on it right now. I had meeting on this yesterday to make sure that we can get the rules right so that people can safely leave a care home and come back without bringing coronavirus back into the home.

“And especially now that vaccinations have taken place – amongst residents, the vast, vast majority have now had two doses and amongst staff vaccination rates are rising as well – and also because the rates of coronavirus are so much lower in the community, so I hope that we can have some good news for you soon, Rachel.”

England’s deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said it was “desperately important” for people’s mental health.

Mr Van Tam said more data was needed on whether the vaccines work as well in the “extremely frail elderly as they do in the fit and younger adult”, as well as the clinically vulnerable.

“Those data will take a little while longer to give us real clarity. And they will help us pull this picture together so that I hope we can move with maximum safe speed to get back to normal.”

In The Caring View Chat Show live on You Tube on 27 April, a public poll revealed 179 out of 189 people responding disagree with the government’s ruling that care home residents making a visit out of their care home should self-isolate for 14 days on their return.

Only two people agreed with the government rule and eight were unsure.

Care home manager: ‘We don’t isolate when people return’

Adam Purnell is care quality lead at Kepplegate House care home.

Mr Purnell said on The Caring View chat show, the self-isolation rule is not followed at the home after discussions with residents and relatives. “We don’t isolate when people return. It’s never been something that we’d consider. Our residents are more than free to go out with their relatives. We’ve had people going out for walks since early December now.

"We’ve got people going out, driving around in the cars, going back home sitting on benches in people’s houses, going in back gardens.

“All the people that they [residents] are seeing are tested, we’re making sure that our relatives are adhering to our policies.”

Dawn Bunter, care home manager at Iceni House in Norfolk said on the chat show said: “I had one relative ring me today to say it’s her dad’s birthday on the 8th May, 40,000 people in a football stadium the other weekend, can she take her dad to the beer garden for a proper glass of red wine?

"It’s really important to me that everybody’s involved in one decision.

“If people can go to a football stadium and cheer on their favourite football team, he can go out and have a nice glass of wine on his birthday".

Mum says her son with learning disabilities is 'depressed'

Mum Shakila says her son Jake who has learning disabilities and cerebral palsy and lives in a residential care home, wants to visit his family without having to isolate.

Before the pandemic, Shakila said going out as a family was common. She said: “We’ve got such a great relationship with the care home. I’ve got two other children and every other weekend he’d come home.

“As the months went on…he was getting quieter and quieter. He was really upset …depressed of not being able to see us. There’s eight of us altogether in his immediate family that he sees regularly week to week.

“We haven’t been operating as a regular family for the last 14 months.”

Campaign group John’s Campaign is considering challenging the government's guidance in the courts, with lawyers having sent a pre-action letter to the Department of Health and Social Care.

Julia Jones and Nicci Gerrard of John’s Campaign, who are represented by Leigh Day solicitor Tessa Gregory, said: “The current guidance on visits out is not fit for purpose, it is encouraging care homes to unlawfully imprison their residents and John’s Campaign will continue with their legal action unless and until the guidance is changed.”