Feeling depressed and confused about visiting restrictions.

Louise7

Volunteer Host
Mar 25, 2016
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Yes, although it seems that some care homes have already been doing this. The Covid-19 winter care plan states that care homes should "supervise visitors at all times to ensure that social distancing and infection prevention and control measures are adhered to".

There's been a few updates to the current visiting guidance - here's a direct link to the section relating to care home visits:

 

anxious annie

Registered User
Jan 2, 2019
808
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Yes, that's what I read too @Bikerbeth . Such a shame their isn't the trust that visitors wont adhere to guidance unless watched. Perhaps Govt realises everyone is desperate for a hug after restricted for so many months and the temptation if alone would be just too great. Sadly it will mean fewer visits for all, no doubt, as staff will have to be rotated in for guard duty. It's so not on, invasion of the residents privacy and right to conversation that's not listened to by others. My mum is paying for this privilege!?
The Govt won't be monitoring what care home staff are doing when not working. They could be breaking the rule of 6, but no one will be watching this.
I shall be writing to Helen Whately to make these points. According to what I saw on BBC news update she does see the importance of family visits, but the need to protect the residents seems to be at the forefront.
I read the winter plan @Louise7 , and was horrified to see the suggestion was to discharge coved positive patients from hospital back to the care homes!!! Was nothing learnt from previous fiasco? It did say this had to be done "safely" ie patient kept in isolation at the home or "cohorting" , whatever that is? Care home could refuse to take patient back, but I guess as family we wouldn't have any say if the home should do this.
I can't understand why the govt talks of minimising risk by restricting visitors, but it's ok to take the risk of coved positive residents taken back, that can't be minimising risk.
I shall be making that point to Helen Whately too!
Am just feeling so angry and sad in equal measures.
I fully understand no visits if the area is in lockdown for everyone, but really believe no one in the government is trying to facilitate visits safely, just saying it can't be done.
Rant over here, sorry TP
Off to email Helen
msc@dhsc.gov.uk
 

Kellyr

Registered User
Aug 8, 2020
177
0
Yes, that's what I read too @Bikerbeth . Such a shame their isn't the trust that visitors wont adhere to guidance unless watched. Perhaps Govt realises everyone is desperate for a hug after restricted for so many months and the temptation if alone would be just too great. Sadly it will mean fewer visits for all, no doubt, as staff will have to be rotated in for guard duty. It's so not on, invasion of the residents privacy and right to conversation that's not listened to by others. My mum is paying for this privilege!?
The Govt won't be monitoring what care home staff are doing when not working. They could be breaking the rule of 6, but no one will be watching this.
I shall be writing to Helen Whately to make these points. According to what I saw on BBC news update she does see the importance of family visits, but the need to protect the residents seems to be at the forefront.
I read the winter plan @Louise7 , and was horrified to see the suggestion was to discharge coved positive patients from hospital back to the care homes!!! Was nothing learnt from previous fiasco? It did say this had to be done "safely" ie patient kept in isolation at the home or "cohorting" , whatever that is? Care home could refuse to take patient back, but I guess as family we wouldn't have any say if the home should do this.
I can't understand why the govt talks of minimising risk by restricting visitors, but it's ok to take the risk of coved positive residents taken back, that can't be minimising risk.
I shall be making that point to Helen Whately too!
Am just feeling so angry and sad in equal measures.
I fully understand no visits if the area is in lockdown for everyone, but really believe no one in the government is trying to facilitate visits safely, just saying it can't be done.
Rant over here, sorry TP
Off to email Helen
msc@dhsc.gov.uk
Hi @anxious annie just to let you know, I emailed Helen Whately (helen.whateley.mp@parliament.uk) and was told that as Im not a constituant, I could contact her via the dhsc website so will try that. It seems incredible that after the many representstions the Gov must have recieved, they have ammended the guidlines to make IT EVEN MORE DIFFICULT for visits!! Like you say there will now be even less slots available and they havent bothered to differentiate between outdoor and indoor visits. Theres clearly a difference re infection transmission and this should be reflected in the rules. We need someone high profile like Esther Rantzen to get on this case as shes simpathetic and has done succesful campaigns in the past. So hard not to get stressed about all this ?
 

anxious annie

Registered User
Jan 2, 2019
808
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Hi @Kellyr , yes it's just so frustrating and stressful. You can't get an answer from Govt, Public Health England, LA etc, no one seems interested in finding a safe way to allow residents visits.
I ve emailed Helen Whately at
msc@dhsc.gov.uk And I add her name in the subject line, as I phoned up and the office gave me that address.
Ive emailed Matt Hancock on the DHSC website, but so far had nothing back other than automated response from him, Boris, Helen or Keir Starmer.
No surprise, but keeping on trying!
 

SKD

Registered User
So I had a 30 minute visit with Mum - it was good to see her for my own peace of mind although she is very much in her own world and did not really respond to me (this was already happening before lockdown). The visit was supervised - but as it was by Mum's key carer it gave me a chance to find out how she had been and check she had everything she needed. Left me sad and then on to funeral of my aunt and a time remembering these capable, intelligent women who are lost to us. Am now wondering what will be the next steps for visits as was hoping to go up again in October.
 

anxious annie

Registered User
Jan 2, 2019
808
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It was good that you got to see your mum and had an update by her key worker.
I'm wondering too what visits will be like in October @SKD
I don't think the Government will have done anything to help as I read today at Johns campaign that Health officials are apparently too busy to respond to the legal challenge over visits to residents !
 

anxious annie

Registered User
Jan 2, 2019
808
0
It was good that you got to see your mum and had an update by her key worker.
I'm wondering too what visits will be like in October @SKD
I don't think the Government will have done anything to help as I read today at Johns campaign that Health officials are apparently too busy to respond to the legal challenge over visits to residents !
 

anxious annie

Registered User
Jan 2, 2019
808
0
Helen Whately, minister for health and social care is on radio 4 tonight on Any Questions , at 8pm
You can email questions, short one sentence are best , to
anyquestions@bbc.co..uk
Or phone in questions on 03700 100 444 calls cost no more than to 01 or 02 numbers
 

Kellyr

Registered User
Aug 8, 2020
177
0
Listening to Radio 4 Helen Whately is completely out of her depth, no understanding, no real empathy with issues being faced and no way of getting through to her. Lisa Nandy sounded more in tune..
 

anxious annie

Registered User
Jan 2, 2019
808
0
Hi All
I think most on this thread have probably done this already, but if not please sign the Rights for Residents petition about restrictions on care home visits
www.change.org/Please-Let-Me-See-My-Family
And as well as emailing MPs, Palerider on his thread put a link for emailing people at House of Lords, you can search for someone with an interest in care homes.
Best to personalise your respond, keep brief, rather than a template letter, and don't send to more than 5 or they disregard
www.writetothem.com
 

SKD

Registered User
As Merseyside has gone into additional measures no visits are being permitted to Mum's care home - so no October visits at all and no visits for in the near future. So glad I managed to get my visit in the the other week but disappointed not to see Mum going forward - and that some of my local cousins who had offered to keep an eye on her will also not be able to visit.
 

anxious annie

Registered User
Jan 2, 2019
808
0
So disappointing @SKD I can't understand why window visits can't go ahead , even in lockdown, but I do know these aren't suitable unless on a ground floor really, and even then some relatives with dementia don't find these at all useful, for some it is worse. I hope your restrictions are soon lifted.
 

Bikerbeth

Registered User
Feb 11, 2019
2,119
0
Bedford
I don’t cry often but that made me cry. Especially the 2 hands against either side of a window which is what I do with my Mum.