Its all mind boggling at this point. The plan is prob to wear pple down until they give up. No other explanationI was callled today -mums CH are opening up to visiting with this booth/pod they have built and I have booked for Monday. I can't see how this is going to work but I will try it.
I think at this stage at the end of November with nothing yet looking as confirmed in terms of tests, opening homes up or vaccines I'm a little skeptical. I haven't had time today to read through latest updates and to be honest am loosing steam in constantly reading meaningless statements and changes to guidance over the last several weeks, none of which so far have given any clarity or direction on visiting in care homes.
Its all mind boggling at this point. The plan is prob to wear pple down until they give up. No other explanation
I agree totally @Kellyr I've just posted about mum on one of the other threads ( so many different covid ones). Basically mum so down again today saying how lonely she is in her room. The door isn't locked , but it might as well be for all the freedom she has. FaceTime froze twice, wifi in the home not up to it. It's so wrong mum had negative test on discharge, isolation for 7 days must be enough if it's OK to go on holiday, take a test and isolate for just 5 days?
Shall email my hopeless MP who is ignoring me and ask her! I'm fighting for mum, but the people in power not listening.
Let's all take our chance, stay in if you'd rather, but we need to get economy going. Hospitals are always overwhelmed in the Winter, years of under funding has done this.
Don't say you're protecting the hospitals if you're letting everyone Christmas party. Stay in your household, bubble so no one alone and have Christmas like that for once.
I seriously think that the real issue here is lack of leadership and committment in decision making. I am exhausted with the constant battle of ever changing views from different authorities with no one single commissioner taking responsibility for any of the deciosns being made. We are led on a trail from one department to the next and back again. I just hope that the case coming before the courts in spring next year offers some explanation as to the constant blocking of any remedy to this situation because I am seriously confounded as matters stand. Information is missing here and we would like to know what that information is and why as yet there has been no remedy into visiting in care homes.@Lone Wolf and @anxious annie I wish there was something positive to say but there isnt. The muddle of rules, regulations and false promises is so wearing. Now one council cant remember which is saying they dont think the lateral flow tests are reliable enough for carehomes and shouldnt be used. In that case they should just give us the pcr test that staff are having (which in itself is incredibly unreliable, hence why we have so many cases) . Im no more contagious than any staff member and nor are you!
@anxious annie as Ive probably said in a previous post, its amazing that all the way through this all we've heard from the homes is 'we're just following Government guidelines'. Now when Government has said visits should resume, many are no longer following them ?Annoyed is a polite way of putting it @Kellyr . I spoke to mum's care home manager again yesterday, and still no sign of tests . She hinted at staffing issues to administer etc to family , and said they were already "tight" regarding staff. I just don't think it will happen, or if by some miracle it does, I don't think it will be two visits for 2 people each week. And of course it will be down to individual homes to decide what is best. She mentioned again about keeping the residents safe, and had no answer when I asked about mental wellbeing. I also queried why residents had to isolate in their own rooms for 14 days if staff member tested positive, and she said to stop any risk of infection spreading. Basically scared stiff of the virus, and making residents suffer. When a staff member did test positive at the beginning of November, she was the only one, so either test error, or very good infection control procedures, so no need for isolating residents. What annoys me too is that staff go home, they were in contact with their "positive" colleague, but could still go out to the supermarket, meet with a friend outdoors and potentially have been positive. If staff were made to isolate in their own rooms, they'd soon be sorting this isolation mess
I will look into this and if I find out will let you knowWell its all kicked off in the North West over the lateral flow test kits and now the town mums home is in is also following suite. I would like to know what the issues are exactly around this so that we can better understand why local authorities and public health officials have concerns. Two of the key isues I can grasp reading between the lines are:
1. Lack of any training on the test kits by care home staff
2. The test kits at best are only 70% effective
I think if there is genuine concern around the use of lateral flow test kits then it would be only right to seek further assurance, but what I am finding diffcult is that no one has put forward any fact based argument as to what the concern is in detail. No test has 100% efficacy so risks always have to be mitigated, I am not sure how re-testing these test kits after clinical evaluation from Public Health England joint with Oxford University found the following results:
The results of the Innova evaluation published today show:
- The specificity of the test was recorded as 99.68% - the overall false positive rate was 0.32%, although this was lowered to 0.06% in a lab setting.
- It has an overall sensitivity of 76.8% for all PCR positive individuals but detects over 95% of individuals with high viral loads, and minimal difference between the ability of the test to pick up viral antigens in symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals.
Oxford University and PHE confirm lateral flow tests show high specificity and are effective at identifying most individuals who are infectious | University of Oxford
Extensive clinical evaluation from Public Health England and the University of Oxford show Lateral Flow Tests are accurate and sensitive enough to be used in the community, including for asymptomatic people.www.ox.ac.uk
To balance my point of view here is an article from the BMJ this week on the tests:
Covid-19: Concerns persist about purpose, ethics, and effect of rapid testing in Liverpool
The government is hailing Liverpool’s testing pilot as a great success and plans to offer rapid lateral flow tests to other areas with high rates of covid-19. But the scheme raises more questions than answers, finds Jacqui Wise Liverpool started its community testing pilot on 6 November, with...www.bmj.com