Care Home still not allowing visits after 8th March

[Scotsfloat]

I was under the impression that the new Government guidelines for Care Home visits (8th March 2021) would allow a designated person per resident to have a face to face visit albeit adhering to strict safety guidelines, wearing relevant PPE etc. My Mother has been in her Care Home for 5 years and is in the end stage of Alzheimer's, so I was obviously looking forward to being able to visit her. I have seen her once in the last year via a window visit but this was distressing for her as she didn't understand why I was outside and wouldn't come in. I have been informed by the Care Home that they are unable to provide inside visiting due to the fact that people could come in contact with other residents and that they are shielding until the end of the month. They are carrying out assessments to see if it is viable for the nominated visitor to see their resident in a Pod instead of inside visiting, but say they won't have assessed things until the end of the month. The Home is a large house that only has 14 residents who are in various stages of dementia. I realise there must be a lot of areas for consideration for the Manager and staff to manage and safety is paramount, but I thought safety had to balanced with the resident's need for social contact? Perhaps I am clouded by the fact that my Mum has declined recently and I have a sense of urgency about being able to visit her before it is too late. It would be really helpful to hear of other people's experiences around this and if anyone else has had any problems.
Thank you.

 

[Louise7]

Hello @Scotsfloat you are right about the guidance, and the fact that safety has to be balanced with the benefits of social contact for the resident, but unfortunately some care homes are more reluctant to follow the guidance than others. They should however still be allowing end of life visits, and the home should also provide a personalised risk assessment for your mother, and you can also apply for 'essential care giver' status. The CQC are also now taking a tougher stance on care homes that are making 'blanket' visiting policies rather than considering the needs of individuals.

In respect of shielding, the guidance was updated by DHSC on 9th March to make it clear that shielding does not prevent visiting as long as the visits are conducted in line with the specified infection control, testing measures etc:

Residents on the Shielded Patient List

As long as visiting is delivered in line with the arrangements set out in this guidance (including robust testing arrangements, PPE use and in the context of good IPC throughout the care home environment), this will provide an appropriate level of risk mitigation and management for people on the SPL list.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...icies-for-visiting-arrangements-in-care-homes

There are a number of groups who have provided advice and templates for use when challenging visiting arrangements so you may find the links in this thread helpful, and hopefully you will be able to visit your mother soon as my mum is in a care home too so I know how hard it is to be denied meaningful contact with a loved one for so long:

https://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/threads/rights-for-residents-and-johns-campaign.125959/

Hopefully the above will be helpful.

 

[Scotsfloat]

Hello @Scotsfloat you are right about the guidance, and the fact that safety has to be balanced with the benefits of social contact for the resident, but unfortunately some care homes are more reluctant to follow the guidance than others. They should however still be allowing end of life visits, and the home should also provide a personalised risk assessment for your mother, and you can also apply for 'essential care giver' status. The CQC are also now taking a tougher stance on care homes that are making 'blanket' visiting policies rather than considering the needs of individuals.

In respect of shielding, the guidance was updated by DHSC on 9th March to make it clear that shielding does not prevent visiting as long as the visits are conducted in line with the specified infection control, testing measures etc:

Residents on the Shielded Patient List

As long as visiting is delivered in line with the arrangements set out in this guidance (including robust testing arrangements, PPE use and in the context of good IPC throughout the care home environment), this will provide an appropriate level of risk mitigation and management for people on the SPL list.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...icies-for-visiting-arrangements-in-care-homes

There are a number of groups who have provided advice and templates for use when challenging visiting arrangements so you may find the links in this thread helpful, and hopefully you will be able to visit your mother soon as my mum is in a care home too so I know how hard it is to be denied meaningful contact with a loved one for so long:

https://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/threads/rights-for-residents-and-johns-campaign.125959/

Hopefully the above will be helpful.

Thank you so much for your reply, it is very helpful. They definitely gave the impression that because the residents were shielding, this was a reason that visiting wouldn't be allowed. I think my thought process if I was the Care Home Manager would be about doing everything remotely possible to enable people to visit, but I get the feeling for some reason that they are looking for barriers to this instead. I think their reasoning is more about having to do more work/have more staff etc. I have absolutely no complaints about the Home or the care my Mother has received and I want to be mindful of the hard work they are putting into this, but I would imagine all Care Homes are faced with the same challenges around inside visiting and it has been in the pipeline for a while, so surely it hasn't exactly come as a surprise to them. I will look at the helpful links you have sent me and this week mull over how to move forward. Many thanks xx

 

[Exning]

I strongly suggest you complain to the CQC and make your concerns known wherever and whenever you find problems in communication or visits. The restrictions are illogical and not based on any real risk evaluation. However we have to accept they are there. But they are limited There are clear guidelines which should be followed and restrictions in excess of those guidelines are unacceptable.
I made representations about the imposition of PCR testing before visits....Not in the guidance and not necessary. The requirement was removed.
It should be possible to have a meaningful dialogue with homes. Unfortunately this is not always the case. The CQC is there to ensure they at least comply with the guidelines

 

[Scotsfloat]

I strongly suggest you complain to the CQC and make your concerns known wherever and whenever you find problems in communication or visits. The restrictions are illogical and not based on any real risk evaluation. However we have to accept they are there. But they are limited There are clear guidelines which should be followed and restrictions in excess of those guidelines are unacceptable.
I made representations about the imposition of PCR testing before visits....Not in the guidance and not necessary. The requirement was removed.
It should be possible to have a meaningful dialogue with homes. Unfortunately this is not always the case. The CQC is there to ensure they at least comply with the guidelines

Thank you and I totally agree with what you are saying. I am going to do a little more research so I know fully where I stand and speak again to the Manager. If I feel I am being fobbed off, I will definitely take it further and will let them know that is what I'm going to do. I'm trying to strike a balance between what they need to do and what I need to happen (ie have a visit) and whilst I am understanding of their position, underneath I have little patience if their motives for delaying aren't based on genuine concerns and are logistically or financially motivated. My Auntie died in another Care Home a week before visiting was allowed on 8th March and my cousin is distraught because she didn't have the opportunity to visit. My mother is very frail and at a very late stage and I don't want to find myself in the same position.
Many thanks