Care home visits to resume in England

The government has said that care home residents in England can begin to be reunited with one of their loved ones.

Visits will resume in care homes once local authorities and local public health directors say it is safe. The government is publishing new guidance which is expected to say that residents will be limited to seeing the same one visitor, where possible.

Taking into account ‘local knowledge and circumstances for each care home’, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that it was now possible to ‘carefully and safely’ allow visits to care homes. The guidance will also stress that staff, residents and visitors should observe developing guidance to minimise the risk of spreading the virus.

Furthermore, care providers should consider whether visits could take place outside, without people having to go through a shared building, and visitors should stick to social distancing guidance and avoid hugs or handshakes. d hoc visits should be discouraged and providers should collect contact details of visitors to support NHS Test and Trace.

People in registered residential care and those in nursing homes for people with learning disabilities, mental health or other disabilities in England will also be able to welcome visitors under the same guidance.

Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, said: "This guidance should have been with care providers last month. We are at a loss to understand why the Department of Health and Social Care cannot act quickly in a crisis or why it is deaf to the comments and input from the sector."