Government to lift cap on visitors for care home residents in England after 19 July

‘Freedom Day’ on 19 July will bring an end to restrictions on visitors for care home residents in England, according to health and social care minister Sajid Javid.

In a speech to the House of Commons yesterday, he announced the details of Step 4 on 19 July, revealing the revoking of social distancing guidance everywhere apart from medical settings and ports of entry, as well as ditching the legal requirement to wear face masks.

In addition, he said: “We will lift the cap on named care home visitor numbers, so that families can come together in the ways they want to once again.”

Currently care home residents in England are allowed five named visitors, including a named essential care giver. A maximum of two visitors are allowed at any one time or on any given day.

“It will no longer be a legal requirement to wear face coverings in any setting, including on public transport - although we advise this as a voluntary measure for crowded and enclosed spaces,” said Mr Javid.

Care home life 'can't be completely like normal'

It is not clear whether this means care home staff will no longer have to wear face masks, although care minister Helen Whately spoke yesterday on BBC Breakfast saying care home life “can’t be completely like normal”.

She said PPE will continue to be worn by staff in English residential settings and that the government will be listening to “scientific evidence” when making its decision on visitor rules.

Ms Whately said: "There will be some further steps on opening up visiting as part of stage four, to take it back even further to normal.

"It can't be completely like normal, there will have to be some infection prevention and control measures."

Mr Javid said in his speech to MPs that 86 per cent of UK adults have had at least one jab, and 64 per cent have had two.

“We’re reinforcing our vaccine wall of defence further still. I can tell the House we are reducing the dose interval for under 40s from 12 weeks to 8… which will mean every adult should have the chance to be double jabbed by mid-September.”

He admitted that cases of Covid-19 are rising and said they will "continue to rise significantly" and predicts that "by the 19th of July, the number of daily cases to be far higher than today.

"Against this backdrop, I know that many people will be understandably cautious about easing restrictions. After many months of uncertainty, this is entirely natural.

"But we can now protect the NHS without having to go to the extraordinary lengths we’ve needed to in the past."

Mr Javid believes "we are vaccinating our way out of this pandemic – and out of our restrictions" and says "we know that with Covid-19, the situation can change – and it can change quickly. But we cannot put our lives on hold forever".

Face masks should 'remain compulsory' for care home staff and visitors

The Independent Care Group responded to the lifting of restrictions, with its chair, Mike Padgham, calling for masks to continue being mandatory for staff in care homes and expressing concern over relaxing visiting rules.

He said: “Everyone wants to get life back to normal, but as the Prime Minister said at the start of his announcement, we are ‘very far from the end of dealing with this virus’.

“Cases are still rising and those people of all ages being looked after in care and nursing homes, as well as in their own homes, remain the most vulnerable to Covid-19.

“I would therefore say that masks should remain compulsory for all those working in and visiting care settings for the foreseeable future.

“I also believe that care settings have to remain vigilant and careful around visiting and not let it become a free for all.”

He added: “In case people need reminding, we have lost 32,000 people in care and nursing homes to Covid-19 – we don’t want to lose any more mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles or friends.”

Ditching visitor restrictions and face masks puts onus back on care homes

Clare Auty, partner and lead for the Independent Health and Social Care Sector at Browne Jacobson LLP, is concerned that doing away with restrictions is putting the onus on care homes. She said: "We feel that the easing of restrictions and the anticipated removal of formal guidance is the start of the process of passing the role of balancing risks back to care home providers."

She is worried that "the move away from reliance on national guidance will create inconsistency and the potential for even greater conflict between residents’ families and care home providers" and advises care home providers to develop their own Covid policies and make these available at the first point of contact with any new resident to avoid any complaints and conflict.

The British Medical Association (BMA) called the relaxation of rules of face masks "incredibly concerning" with a spokesman saying face masks "do not in the main protect the individual but those around them.

"This cannot be about 'personal choice' when the risk comes from others around you not wearing them.

“We would urge the Government to reconsider its course of action and implement some of the necessary measures such as the continued mandatory wearing of facemasks in enclosed indoor public settings, until the rampant spread of infection has been brought under control and more of the population are fully vaccinated."