Caring through Covid

Following the latest raft of government guidance and the continued progress towards the unlocking of society, we have been able to once again update our visiting policy. As of May 17th those living in our homes can now have up to five named visitors, with two loved ones allowed to visit at any one time or on any given day. Very young children or essential care givers do not count towards that daily limit.

New guidance which came into effect on May 17th has also allowed for more trips out of care homes, without the need to self-isolate on return. Those living with us can now not only enjoy low-risk outdoor visits out, such as a trip to the park, a garden or the beach, but they can now attend medical appointments, a workplace, educational setting, or day centre without the need to isolate afterwards thanks to the updated guidance.

This is fantastic news for everyone and has allowed families and friends to reunite and enjoy spending time together both inside and outside of care homes.

A further important change is that in the event of a confirmed case at a home, visits will only pause for a minimum of 14 days rather than 28 days.

This means visits can resume sooner following an outbreak, once the relevant testing has been completed and provided all staff and residents tested receive a negative result.

We are so pleased to be taking these steps together, and while our fantastic teams continue to adhere to all guidance and work hard to maintain good infection prevention and control, it is fantastic to be moving towards a more normal way of life. We are also delighted to note the government aims to make visiting ‘as normal as possible’ by the summer.

As always, we will keep you updated and implement the changes as soon as we can. We look forward to making more steps safely together as we learn to live alongside Covid.